My Account

Your browser's Javascript functionality is turned off. Please turn it on so that you can experience the full capabilities of this site.

Your browser is currently not set to accept cookies. Please turn this functionality on or check if you have another program set to block cookies.

Dive into Miami

by David Prior

With its year-round sun and singular style, Miami is never a bad idea. For those
eager to experience its true and enduring allure, there’s nowhere better than its storied hotel pools.

The Biltimore

The favourite of Hollywood mermaid Esther Williams who performed Busby Berkley-esque
aquacades here during the 1930s, the Biltmore pool is one of the originals and still one of the best.
The hotel itself is an ochre-apricot Spanish-Italianate confection and the peak of nostalgia in a city
where many historic establishments have given way to gleaming new towers. The immense 23-square-foot
pool wonderfully evokes Miami’s golden age amid bougainvillea, private cabanas and grandiose Moorish
arches.

The Standard

Fronting the inlet of Belle Isle, don’t pass by the low-slung charm of the Standard Spa
pool. This retro retreat was designed by Norman Giller, the master of 1950s Miami modern architecture,
and then refurbished as the Lido Spa prior to its current incarnation. Adjoining a waterside restaurant
and bar, the pool is a favourite among the New York style set who come to relax on the
white-and-canary-yellow lounge chairs beside immaculately manicured gardens.

Faena Hotel

The eccentric visionary Argentinian hotelier Alan Faena collaborated with Baz Luhrmann and
Catherine Martin to design this fantastical hotel overlooking the Atlantic. Situated in the eponymous
six-block Faena District of the Mid-Beach neighborhood, the poolside scene features a massive, gilded
Damien Hirst wooly-mammoth sculpture , red-and-white-striped lollipop
umbrellas, and an international crowd who put a premium on privacy.

Freehand Miami

An Art Deco courtyard oasis filled with leaning banana trees, the true drawcard of the
Freehand pool area is Miami’s, and likely one of the United States’ best bars, Broken Shaker. Favoured by off-duty designers and artists
during Design Miami and Art Basel, the tiki-styled scene shakes with expert
bartenders whisking together uniquely seasonal sips. Don’t let the fact that the Freehand categorizes
itself as a hostel confuse you, this is home to one of the city's most quietly sophisticated scenes of
poolside idling.

Written by David Prior, Founder and CEO of PRIOR
members-only travel club. Discover PRIOR’s tailored itineraries and library of one-off experiences, journeys,
events and parties across the globe at www.prior.club.